BENNETT

From page A1

Bennett, alongside former staff member Landon West, was instrumental in founding the Marion Patriot Activities Network, which provides livestream broadcasts of Patriots sporting events and other student activities. With the work of Bennett and West, along with considerable investment in technology and equipment by the district, MPAN has grown to be one of the top high school broadcast networks in the country. In 2021, Communications Specialist Chuck Livingston joined the team, following West’s departure. Over the past two years, MPAN has won five national awards via the Mascot Media broadcast network, including Best Sports Network and Best School-Run Broadcast Team in 2021 and Play of the Year, Event of the Year, and a repeat of the Best School-Run Broadcast Team award in 2022.

“I feel blessed and thankful to have worked at the Marion School District for as long as I have,” Bennett said. “We turned a weekly podcast into one of the best livestream teams in the country, which turned into a full-time job for me. Thank you, Patriot Nation, for supporting us and our student-athletes. I’ve traveled all over Arkansas in my time at MPAN, and I can genuinely say there is no other school district in the state that is doing what we are doing at Marion. I’m proud of the advancements our city and school district have made, and I’m thankful for the opportunities this work has created for me.”

“I’ll always remember and treasure my time working with Tyler,” Livingston said. “He’s taught me so much in our short time together, and I’m not sure I could ever repay him. As much fun as we had covering the greatest athletic year in Marion history, it was even more enjoyable doing so with a great friend.”

Livingston and Weld will pick up most of Bennett’s responsibilities in the weeks ahead, but Weld said the district is looking to fill the role as soon as possible.

“While we hope to be able to fill Tyler’s job, we know we will never be able to replace him,” Weld said. “But we will do our best, and we will continue our work of telling the world about the amazing things happening in our school district. For anyone out there interested in joining our communications team and helping us tell the Marion story, please shoot me an email at aweld@ msd3.org.”

About the Marion School District

The Marion School District is an innovative and growing district committed to helping every student find their unique path to success in school and in life. With more than 150 years of experience serving families in Crittenden County, the district offers a high school, a junior high, and three award-winning magnet schools. For enrollment information, including information on school choice, visit https://www.msd3.org/ or call 870-739-5100.